February 29th, 2024 • Music Education
Black Origins of Rock and Roll
The genre of Rock and Roll is derived from the musical traditions of blues, soul, R&B, jazz and other inherently Black styles. Here are five Black pioneers that have crafted the genre into how we know it today!
Black Pioneers of Rock and Roll – Spotify Playlist
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915-October 9, 1973)
As a proud queer woman, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a natural trailblazer. She began guitar at the age of four and began performing in churches by the time she was six, later becoming the first female guitarist in the male-dominated genre of rock and roll. Tharpe was the first gospel performer to play Harlem’s Apollo Theater and the exclusive Cotton Club. Her 1945 hit “Strange Things Happening Every Day” is considered to be the first rock and roll record. Tharpe would go on to inspire a number of legendary musicians including Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins.
Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942-September 18, 1970)
A prominent advocate for the counterculture and hippie movements, Jimi Hendrix is best known for his masterful guitar skills and the new techniques he brought to the instrument. After learning guitar at 16, his early career included tours with the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. A trademark of his playing included his antics on stage – Hendrix famously burned a guitar at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. After his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, the self-taught guitarist was named “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.”
The Supremes (1964-1970)
The Supremes broke records as pioneers within the music industry, even though they were only together for seven years. The Motown group is best known for its original lineup of Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. The group recorded 12 U.S. no. 1 hits, including five consecutive chart toppers, and rivaled The Beatles in popularity. Crowned “the reigning female rock ‘n’ roll group” by TIME magazine, three of their songs are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. The Supremes have inspired countless others in the music industry including The Pointer Sisters, En Vogue and Destiny’s Child.
Little Richard (December 5, 1932–May 9, 2020)
With a style that combined soul, funk and hip-hop with rock, Richard Wayne Penniman, better known as “Little Richard,” quickly made a name for a himself as a showman and musician growing up in the Pentecostal Church in Georgia. His explosive vocals paired with his fast, rhythmic piano style influenced The Beatles, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Elton John, Prince and so many other giants in the music industry. His song “Tutti Frutti” is included in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Fats Domino (February 26, 1928–October 24, 2017)
As a self-taught pianist and singer, Antoine “Fats” Domino grew up performing in the honky-tonks of New Orleans. His first record titled “The Fat Man” was the first rock and roll record to sell over one million copies. During his career, he would go on to sell a total of more than 65 million records, outselling Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly – combined. An inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Domino has also been awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton.
Sources
- https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/blog/black-history-rock-roll-royalty/
- https://www.npr.org/2017/08/24/544226085/forebears-sister-rosetta-tharpe-the-godmother-of-rock-n-roll
- https://www.popmatters.com/sister-rosetta-tharpe-got-rock-rolling-long-before-elvis-2495821302.html
- https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/performers/little-richard
- https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/little-richard-biography-and-career-timeline/27612/
- https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/little-richard-the-great-innovator-of-rock-and-roll
- https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/registry-by-induction-years/2009/
- https://www.dw.com/en/jimi-hendrix-still-a-legend-50-years-after-his-death/a-54911395
- https://americansongwriter.com/remember-when-jimi-hendrix-humps-burns-smashes-and-gifts-his-hand-painted-guitar-to-a-stunned-monterey-crowd-all-to-outdo-the-who/
- https://time.com/vault/issue/1965-05-21/page/96/
- https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-the-supremes#:~:text=American%20Motown%20group%20The%20Supremes,unprecedented%20five%20consecutive%20chart%20toppers.
- https://www.fatsdominoofficial.com/about
- https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/25/522583856/fats-domino-architect-of-rock-and-roll-dead-at-89
- https://www.songhall.org/profile/Antoine_Domino
- https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/music/remembering-fats-domino-the-beatles-elvis-presley-and-the-real-king-of-rock-n-roll
